UlyssesIn80-Reading James Joyce Masterpiece in 80 Days

In this special Readers' Pub episode of Ulysses in 80, the guest speakers are the readers themselves.
Participants from around the world gather for an open conversation that ranges from Joyce and language to Judaism, Gorgonzola sandwiches, and the unexpected connections that emerge when readers meet one another with curiosity and candor.
More than a discussion of Ulysses, this episode explores reading slowly, embracing complexity, and discovering that some of the most meaningful conversations begin without knowing where they will lead.
The episode closes with a brief excerpt from the poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé—a quiet reminder that not every word needs to be fully understood to be deeply felt.
Ulysses in 80 is hosted by Cliona O'Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.
Reformatted and adapted as a podcast from The Readers' Pub gathering of June 17, 2026.
Produced in Anchor Bay, California.
For more on Ulysses in 80, visit ulyssesin80.com.
Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.
📧 Contact: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

In Season 3, Episode 2 of Ulysses in 80, Mark Sanford Gross and Cliona O'Farrelly welcome Robert Nicholson—writer, curator, and one of Dublin's most respected guides to the world of James Joyce.
For nearly fifty years, Robert has been walking the streets of Dublin with readers from around the world, bringing Joyce's city to life one step at a time.
In this lively conversation, he leads us through the streets and stories of Joyce's Dublin, from funeral processions and quiet laneways to cattle in the streets, hidden corners of the city, and the people and places that still echo through the pages of Ulysses.
Drawing on decades of experience guiding readers through Joyce's world, Robert reflects on Dublin then and now, the enduring appeal of Ulysses, and the pleasures of discovering the city through Bloom's wandering footsteps.
Robert Nicholson is the author of The Ulysses Guide: Tours Through Joyce's Dublin and the video guide James Joyce's Dublin: The Ulysses Tour.
Ulysses in 80 is hosted by Cliona O'Farrelly and Mark Sanford Gross.
To learn more, join the conversation, and explore upcoming events and podcasts, visit ulyssesin80.com.

Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.
📧 Contact: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

Recorded during the opening week of the 2026 Ulysses in 80 global reading, this conversation brings together Mark Sanford Gross, Cliona O'Farrelly, and Professor Sam Slote of Trinity College Dublin to begin an eighty-day journey through James Joyce's Ulysses.
As readers around the world gather to read the novel one day at a time, Sam reflects on a lifetime spent reading, teaching, and thinking about Joyce. The conversation explores the challenges and rewards of Ulysses, the experience of returning to the book again and again, and what it continues to reveal about language, readers, and ourselves.
The episode also includes questions from members of the worldwide Ulysses in 80 community who joined the first weekly live conversation of the 2026 season on June 3, 2026.
Professor Sam Slote is co-author of Annotations to James Joyce's Ulysses and author of Joyce's Nietzschean Ethics. He teaches at Trinity College Dublin and is recognized internationally as one of today's leading Joyce scholars.
Learn more, follow the daily readings, join the discussions, and explore additional podcasts and events at ulyssesin80.com.
Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.
📧 Contact: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

A mosaic of voices from the Ulysses in 80 community sharing spontaneous thoughts on how they read James Joyce’s Ulysses.
New readers. First-time readers. Returning readers.
No one prepared for this episode. The reflections here emerged in the moment — stream-of-consciousness responses to a simple question:
How do you read Ulysses?
This is not an academic “how to” episode. These are personal reflections shaped by experience, frustration, joy, confusion, passion, struggle, and discovery while reading one of literature’s greatest — and most challenging — masterpieces.
Now in its fifth year, Ulysses in 80 brings readers from around the world together to read approximately 10–12 pages a day over 80 days while sharing conversation, insight, humor, and companionship along the way.
The 2026 reading begins June 1 and continues through August 19, with the new website becoming the central hub for daily readings and discussion.
This episode carries the voices of readers from Tasmania to Vancouver, sharing the deeply personal reasons they chose this book — and what happened when they began reading it together.
Mark Sanford Gross in Northern California and Cliona O'Farrelly in Dublin, Ireland lead the Ulysses in 80 project and host this podcast.
Questions?
readingulyssesin80@gmail.com
Visit:
ulyssesin80.com
Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.
📧 Contact: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.

The 2026 season opens with this podcast.
Ulysses in 80 is a global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, now in its fifth year, moving through the book together over eighty days.
This episode gathers twenty-four voices — all participants in the global group — who offered their own response to a simple question: why read Ulysses? This is the first podcast of the 2026 season.
These voices were not recorded in a studio, and not rehearsed. They arrived as they are — from around the world — finding their way into one place.
What emerges is a mosaic of voices, each one distinct, yet somehow in conversation.
And in a time that feels difficult, and with a book that often feels the same, something else begins to happen: we begin to hear each other.
The 2026 Ulysses in 80 reading begins June 1.
More information: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com
Ulysses in 80
Produced by Mark Sanford Gross
With Cliona O'Farrely
Ulysses in 80
A global reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, moving through the book together over eighty days.
📧 Contact: readingulyssesin80@gmail.com

The 2026 reading is June 1 to August 19th.